17 years! :)

See the pretty flowers my husband brought home for me? Wonder what they're for? :) Well, he was reminding me of his love for me and beginning to celebrate the special day that today is!

It's our 17 year 'dating anniversary'! :)

And, he even brought me some chocolate covered cherries with the flowers! Now, you have to understand -- I love chocolate covered cherries and he absolutely hates them -- so for him to go out and get them, just for me, was so sweet! :)

Yep.....17 years ago on today, November 12th, Steve and I had our very first date. I was 18 and he was 20. Wow -- we were so young! LOL Actually, it didn't quite start out as a 'date' -- we were on a 'ministry' trip to a nearby juvenile shelter for troubled teenagers to see how our campus ministry group might be able to help there and maybe mentor some teens. Steve and I both volunteered to go - it was our first time to be alone together.......but, remember.......it was JUST a ministry trip! LOL Well.....maybe I should back up a bit and tell you the whole story, for those who don't know us real well........'cause you know me...I'm an 'open book'! LOL

Ok....let's see....where to begin? Well....in high school I had dated a few people, but other than one guy for a couple months my freshman year of high school, there was nothing 'major', but just a few dates. Honestly, I was really getting serious about my relationship with God at this point and I just wasn't interested in the whole 'dating scene'. Not that I wasn't interesting in guys, but just didn't see the point of going out with all these different guys. I was definitely going against the norm and took plenty of 'flack' for it, too!

I went on a teen mission trip after my junior year of high school to Venezuela and God totally changed my life and I longed to just be 'sold out' to Him alone - to live for Someone and something beyond myself. Soon thereafter, I made a decision one night, while spending time with God, that I didn't want to 'date just to date', but that the next person I dated, I wanted to be the person I would marry. I didn't really know about the 'courtship' idea at that point, but that was the reality of my heart, I guess. I just wanted to pursue the things of God and trust Him to bring the right man at the right time, without having to 'try out' a bunch of guys. I wasn't interested in prom and things like that, so I just went with some friends, but we left soon after the start, because it just wasn't 'me'. I wasn't into all that, but truly God had begun to capture my heart and I longed to learn to live sold out to Him alone, not for all the things of this world. And, yet it was so hard because it seemed 'crazy' to not be dating, etc. But, I knew what I wanted and made a decision with the Lord to just 'wait' for His timing, even if it was hard to 'go against the flow' of our culture and what others thoughts or expected.

Well, in January of 1991, I was with my friend Robin at her house and we began talking about her extended family and then she began showing me some pictures and showed me a picture of her Aunt and her family, who lived near St. Louis. She said the oldest son, who was in bible college in Tennessee, was possibly going to be coming to Iowa to do an internship in campus ministry at Iowa State University, with Chi Alpha, the ministry I was involved in. Well, she showed me the picture of this family and this cousin of hers' and I can't explain it, other than it was a 'God moment', but as soon as I saw Steve's picture I just KNEW this was going to be my husband! It as as if we 'locked eyes' through the photo and instantly there was a heart connect! It was the weirdest thing! And, totally unexpected as I'd never met this guy before in my life!

But, over the next 5 months, I began to hear bits and pieces about this guy -- that he, too, had gone with Teen Mania, but the year before me, and had gone to Guatemala. That he, too, was sold out for God and desired only to live for Him. Etc. And, over those 5 months, I began to pray for Steve. Not as my future husband, or anything, but just as this guy who was coming to Iowa and I felt led to pray for him and God's direction on his life, etc. But, I must confess, my heart began to get anxious to meet this man whom God had told me would be my husband! I couldn't wait to meet him in person. :)

So, in June, Steve comes to Ames, Iowa to 'intern' with Chi Alpha for the summer. We were introduced to each other, as he was to everyone, and then the summer came and went........just like that. Steve barely even acknowledged me, even though we saw each other a couple times a week at leadership meetings or the ministry night, or whatever! He might say 'hi' or smile, but that was it! No extended conversation, at all.

Huh? I was so confused! My heart was so confused! I mean, here God had told me this would be my husband and then he's barely even acknowledging that I exist -- what's up with that? It was a long, emotional, and confusing summer, that's for sure. I tried so hard to trust God, but I was confused and my heart ached, because I thought I had really heard God and was so sure...

The end of August, Steve leaves for a couple weeks to do a ministry trip with a pastor out East. I missed him so much. We weren't together, but I missed just having him around. I realized how 'attached' my heart had become to having him in the group! Unbeknownst to me, he took those two weeks to decide if he was going to stay in Iowa, or go back to Tennessee to finish bible college. Well, he ended up staying....

We were both doing some different ministry responsibilities with Chi Alpha and it just 'so happened' that we were asked to go to a nearby juvenile center for troubled teens. I don't remember how it worked out that it was just Steve and I, but I must admit I was excited and nervous! I mean, it was our first time 'alone' and I couldn't wait -- and yet, he didn't seem to have any interest in me at all. I knew it would be awkward, too. LOL

Quite honestly -- I can't hardly remember our ministry time! LOL But, afterwards, we were talking outside and he says, "Hey -- what would you think about running over to Taco Bell and grabbing a Coke and we can chat more about all this?"

Immediately my stomach turned to a raging torrent of butterflies! I, of course, said "yes" and was so excited and yet so nervous...........was this real? :) After 5 months of him barely acknowledging me, we were going to be alone in a restaurant, actually talking! I wasn't quite sure what to think of this guy.

And, while getting a soft shell taco and drinking diet coke at Taco Bell, we began to talk about our meeting with the staff and students there at the center. However, about 1/2 way into the conversation, he looks at me and abruptly changes the conversation and says...

"Ya' know, Debi....I'm not the type of guy to just go out for a coke with a girl. And, I know you're not the type of girl to just accept to go out for a coke with just any guy......"

And, from there.....we began to talk about beginning to build a relationship!!!!!!!!!!!! :)

He began to share his heart a bit more about how he had watched me over the summer and really respected me, etc. He just wanted to start getting to know each other more and go from there. He asked if he could 'date' me, but didn't want to make a big scene about it, just a casual 'getting to know each other' maybe on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, or something like that. I was sure he was the one, so of course, I happily said yes! (Although, it wasn't until after we were married that I shared with him that I had known he was the 'one' when I'd first seen his photo back in January of 1991!)

I drove home that night sooooooooooo thrilled and could barely sleep. I cried tons of tears that night because the Lord was giving me the desires of my heart. He was answering the deepest longing of my immature heart of desiring to leave the 'dating scene' and have only one more boyfriend, ever....that whom would become my husband! :) I am so thankful that I made that decision back then, as hard as it was to live out........because my wonderful husband was so worth the wait! :)

Four months later, we were 'officially' a couple and everyone knew. Six months later we were engaged, and ...

We were married 19 months, to the day, later -- June 12, 1993!

And, since that day that our lives began to be intertwined, we have always 'celebrated' in some fashion the 'birth' of our relationship on November 12, 1991! :) Wow -- how fast time flies -- 17 years ago.......

Taco Bell will always hold a special place in my heart........LOL